Nouvelles

UNB receives funding for the development of Arctic surveillance capabilities

A physics professor at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) is working on two projects that are developing the next generation of sensors and systems to enhance the surveillance and detection capabilities for continental defence. UNB uns the Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN), which is one of the world’s largest networks for ionospheric monitoring and investigation and the two projects are part of the Department of National Defence (DND) All Domain Situational Awareness (ADSA) program, providing valuable information about the Canadian Arctic Upper Atmosphere.

CHAIN (the network) started its work in 2006 and has 25 global navigation satellite receiver systems and five high-frequency radars called ionosondes. The information/ data gathered satellite systems is transferred to UNB in near real-time for processing.

The total funding of $2.9M will go towards adding three more high-frequency radars to the network and to develop more accurate and Arctic-specific ionospheric models.

These two projects will help to develop a next-generation surveillance system for the Arctic and will have broad impacts on communication and navigation technologies and the Canadian economy, says Dr. P. Thayyil Jayachandran, chair of the physics department at the University of New Brunswick and lead for CHAIN.